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Kukje Art Gallery: SO-IL Architects

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For their recently completed project in the northern part of Seoul, partners Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu of the Brooklyn-based Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO–IL)architecture studio, diffused the front of their structure for the Kukje Art Gallery with a chainmail veil. As part of their master plan for the gallery’s new “art campus”, SO–IL designed a clear-span art space in the shape of a box to house large contemporary installations. They maintained the pure geometry of the space by pushing the circulation out to the edge of the building. They felt that the white cube was too rigid within the historic environs, so, by enveloping the structure in a steel mesh, they blurred the edges and softened the appearance as a whole, in addition to creating a very cool-looking building.

Working with FrontInc. Engineers, and fabricators in China, to design and manufacture the armor-style mesh, SO–IL oversaw mock-up tests in Southern China for the proper elasticity and geometry before having it transported to the gallery site in Seoul.